Sample Extension using New 2.3 Extension Methodology

Hi,
I've read the information in the post How to handle Opencart v2.3 - New extensions methodology, but it is lacking details regarding the extension installer and what's necessary to make the extension work with it.
What would help the most is if someone can point me to an extension that works with the extension installer and follows the new extension methodology.
My areas of interest for writing an extension are:

1. Make a Dashboard Extension that displays information in the dashboard, such as a report.
2. Use OCMod
3. Admin only functionality, no front-end modifications

If any of you happen to know of a well-written (free) extension that follows the new methodology and utilizes these things, I would really appreciate a recommendation. It doesn't even have to implement all of these, just the new methodology mainly.
All of the tutorials and documentation I have found are based on the older methods and I've wasted a lot of time with no success. Thank you in advance.

I've wasted a lot of time with no success
Leaning something is never wasted time.
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To Straightlight's Postings, he's not been seen here anymore since August, and since he
locked his Posts, no-one else could ever comment on his ideas. And for the DEV's, I don't
think, that many of them have time, to play around with a different kind of doing things, as
long as they are busy to keep up their existing Mod's to still do their things with latest
v.2-releases. DEV Talk is about OC v.3 anyway, I assume ...
Ernie

Yeah, I just don't get why the developers would implement a new methodology that deviates from the traditional method and then not explain it, at least in developer terms, so that new developers can start contributing extensions and so forth.
Heck, just a sample basic extension would be extremely helpful because I can look at the code and see what's going on and build on that as a point of reference, no documentation needed. I'm not real familiar with coding modules & extensions for opencart and I hate writing hackish code, plus I cannot afford to waste several hours just to get to square one.
When I mentioned "wasted a lot of time with no success", I mean I literally have done just that. I'm further along on writing a proper 2.3 extension than when I started because all of the information I spent time reading wasn't for the new methodology, therefore it's useless for what I'm trying to do.

I cannot afford to waste several hours just to get to square one
Well, you obviously exist here since 12 Jun 2014, and since then, I wasted several thousand hours, mostly on testing and posting here, trying to find out some Secrets of OC

And you have been informed before on that event - thing in OC-2, and, combined with the Code in Straightlight's Postings, it probably has some real information-value, at least for real Coders, a Species, I unfortunately do not belong to.
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=131243&p=519991#p520147
Good Luck
Ernie

I also don't understand, why do you want to limit yourself to OC 2.3? Me, for example, loves to create generic stuff. All my extensions work in every OC 2 version up to 2.3. Even considering new "methodology" which is basically a new folder structure. I find extremely frustrating creating and supporting a bunch of versions for each OC release. I have almost 60 extensions for OC only. Imagine, if I had several versions for each of them. Bleh...

IP_CAM wrote:And you have been informed before on that event - thing in OC-2

Hey Ernie,
Thank you for reminding me about events. In my previous posts, I was focused on 1.5.6 (since that's what I use) and therefore the events were irrelevant. The reason I said I cannot afford to spend a lot of time chasing a lot of bad information is because coding is not what I do for a living, therefore it is secondary and limited.
And the point of the post was to see if someone happens to know of a good resource, which is much faster than me trying to find it myself. Sometimes I see questions others have and if I know the answer, I gladly share it since it saves them a lot of time. I was hoping someone might know this answer and if not, I'm left to figure it out or try something else.

thekrotek wrote:I also don't understand, why do you want to limit yourself to OC 2.3?

Well there's a good explanation for this. First, I don't care to try and support anything earlier than 2. Backwards compatibility isn't a priority nor something I'm interested in.
The reason for 2.3 and forward is because the new methodology will be the methodology going forward. Depending on the core developers, at some point the old methodology may become no longer supported. And I always try to follow "best practices" and the coding standards for whatever I'm writing code for. This usually helps to assure compatibility with future releases and minimize potential bugs. That's my philosophy on it anyways.
I don't code for a living, so trying to maximize compatibility isn't my goal, at least not right now. If that changes and becomes a profitable source of revenue for me, then I'll change my views accordingly. But for the sake of simplicity, I'll probably go with the standards for 2.0+ and disregard the new methodology for now. I will revisit it in the next major release, which is when that should've been added.

Thank you for the feedback.

There really is not much difference in 2.3 from 2 -> 2.2 other than the file structure

A lot of directories have been moved in to extensions

Simply compare the file structure in 2.2 to 2.3 and you will see

Take a look at the code for a basic module such as the 'html' module between the 2 versions

You going to love the next release of OpenCart, from what I can tell, all templating will be done using Twig

well, if you still use v.1.5.6.x, you don't have to worry about OcMod and Events. And OcMod is actually not more than a 'light' Version of VqMod, but instead of keeping the individual OcMod's in a 'centralized' location (Sub), like VqMod does, in the vqmod/xml/... Subdirectory, it keeps 'em in the Database, and the modified cached OUTPUT files are placed in the Extension section, instead of the vqmod/vqcache/... Section, as it is the case with VqMods.
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But if you want to use something different from VqMod, and possibly more 'close' to the EVENT way of doing it, you could use JNeuhoff's Override Engine, but I never tested it, so, I cannot say, if and how ot exaclty functions:
Override Engine
This package provides a replacement system engine for OpenCart. It uses the same MVC architecture as the standard OpenCart framework. All instances of controller and model classes, and most of the library classes, are created by a special factory class.
An additional override feature is supported. This allows 3rd party addons to do changes to the OpenCart core classes, templates, and language files. Core controller, model and most library classes can be extended and their methods be overridden in a normal object oriented programming manner.
VQmod is supported, too. The new Override Engine allows the modifications of OpenCart core files to be done using object oriented programming techniques, whereas VQmod employs dynamic XML search and replace operations for this.
https://www.opencart.com/index.php?rout ... r=jneuhoff
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But if one cares to move to OcModding, but still keep the v.1.5.6.x Version, for 15 Bucks, you could buy PM-NETTI's famous Combination, a V-2 Theme, OcMod, and the latest Version OC 1.5.6.5_rc release, then, one can either use OcMod or VqMod, or both, but this 'Double-Action doing things' again would not make much sense ....
OpenCart 1.5.6.5 Edge
Engine from Opencart 1.5.6.5_rc
Theme from Opencart 2.0.3
Added Ocmod-modification to Admin
Full Responsive
https://www.opencart.com/index.php?rout ... n_id=27779
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Just to add some info's for the readers...
Good Luck
Ernie